Nintendo talks Wii U launch price, still declines to reveal what it is. JUST TELL US ALREADY!

Has Nintendo learnt about launch prices? Hopefully, if an interview with Iwata is anything to go by

Nintendo wasn’t exactly coy with Wii U at this year’s E3, with nearly all of its keynote presentation devoted to it. But despite tonnes of information on what we can expect from the console when it’s released, the key detail of how much the new machine will actually cost is still a mystery. However, while still holding back on the final RRP, Nintendo is happy to reassure us the new machine isn’t going to be excessively pricey.

In an interview with Japanese paper Yomiuri Shimbun, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata explained the company has learnt the lessons of the botched 3DS launch: “We won't make the same mistake that we did with the 3DS, which was considered relatively high by consumers.” Further in the article, an analyst estimates the break-even cost of Wii U will be around 30,000 yen, which works out to roughly £243, which would make online retailer Shopto.net recent pre-order price of £279.85 seem pretty accurate.

Above: Seriously Nintendo, how much?

So, while an actual price is still to be set in stone, it’s a positive start for the Wii U’s life that Nintendo has recognised the 3DS was too expensive at launch and are looking for its new console to avoid the handheld’s problem of alienating gamers with its cost. However, if Nintendo is still letting retailers decide on the RRP, as it did with 3DS and 3DS XL, then it may not have as much control over the price as we like to think.